DCP118 Gene Anderson and Ole Anderson with World Tag Team Championship Belts

Gene Anderson — born April 5, 1939, in Rochester, Minnesota — was the founding member and elder statesman of professional wrestling's most feared brother act: The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. Trained by Verne Gagne in the American Wrestling Association, Gene broke into the business in the early 1960s and helped originate the Anderson Brothers stable — a "brothers" team that was never actually related, but whose no-nonsense, punishing style would become one of the most influential blueprints in the history of tag team wrestling. He first teamed with Lars Anderson (Larry Heiniemi) before pairing with the man who would become his most enduring partner and stand-in "brother," Ole Anderson, in the late 1960s. Together, Gene and Ole captured multiple NWA World Tag Team Championships (Mid-Atlantic version) across Jim Crockett Promotions, becoming the marquee heels of the Mid-Atlantic territory throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Gene later transitioned into a booker and trainer role, mentoring a generation of talent — including a young Ric Flair — and helped guide Arn Anderson into the fold as his replacement in the Wrecking Crew when Gene retired. Gene passed away on October 30, 1991, at the age of 52 from a heart attack.

Ole Anderson — born Alan Robert Rogowski on September 22, 1942, in Minneapolis, Minnesota — was one of the most influential figures in professional wrestling both inside and outside the ring. He joined the Minnesota Wrecking Crew alongside Gene and Lars Anderson in the late 1960s, and quickly became the punishing tactical mind of the team. With Gene, Ole captured multiple NWA World Tag Team Championships in the Mid-Atlantic, headlining across the entire territory. When Gene stepped back from full-time competition, Ole reformulated the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with a young Arn Anderson, extending the team's legacy into another generation. In 1986, Ole co-founded one of the most influential stables in wrestling history — The Four Horsemen — alongside Arn, Ric Flair, and Tully Blanchard. He also served as head booker for both Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, helping shape the direction of the NWA through some of its most pivotal years, and remained one of the sport's most respected minds until his retirement. He was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame in 1994 and the NWA Hall of Fame in 2010 as part of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. He authored the memoir Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling in 2003. Ole passed away on February 26, 2024, in Monroe, Georgia, at the age of 81.

The Belts. The championships pictured in this print were handcrafted by Reggie Parks — the legendary "King of Belts" whose work defined the visual identity of professional wrestling from the 1960s through the 1990s. Parks designed the majority of the iconic championship belts of the territory era, including the WWF "Winged Eagle" championship worn by Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Shawn Michaels; the WCW World Heavyweight Championship; countless NWA, AWA, and international titles; and even the SHIMMER Championship in the modern era. His belts were, and remain, the physical benchmark against which all other wrestling championships are measured. Parks passed away on October 7, 2021, at the age of 87 — meaning his body of work is now finite, and every documented appearance of a Parks-designed belt in the wild has become a piece of collector-grade history.

This photograph — captured by Ditch-Cat Photo during one of Gene and Ole Anderson's NWA World Tag Team Championship reigns — preserves two of the most dominant tag team wrestlers in the history of the territory era, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, both pointing to their #1 status, with the Reggie Parks–designed World Tag Team belts held up as evidence. This is what the peak of Mid-Atlantic tag team wrestling looked like.

About the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic Version)

The NWA World Tag Team Championship — the Mid-Atlantic version — was the most prestigious tag team title in professional wrestling throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, defended by Jim Crockett Promotions across the NWA's most important territory. Established in 1975 and carried by The Andersons (first Gene and Ole, later the legendary pairing of Ole and Arn that defined the Minnesota Wrecking Crew), the title was traded in classic feuds between Ric Flair & Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood, the Brisco Brothers, Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood, the Rock and Roll Express, the Road Warriors, and the Midnight Express. The belt was the centerpiece of Mid-Atlantic Saturday-night television and the headline match of countless Greensboro Coliseum cards. It was rebranded as the WCW World Tag Team Championship in 1991 and remained one of professional wrestling's most coveted prizes until WCW closed in 2001.

About Reggie Parks — "The King of Belts"

Reggie Parks — born Reginald David Parko on August 27, 1934, in Edmonton, Alberta — was a Canadian professional wrestler turned championship belt designer whose work defined the visual identity of professional wrestling for six decades. Trained by the legendary Stu Hart and debuting in 1955, Parks worked as the "Quiet Superman" across Stampede Wrestling, the AWA, and the NWA territories, capturing multiple championships including the NWA World Tag Team Championship and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship during a career that spanned nearly three decades. He began designing championship belts during his active career and eventually built a body of work that included nearly every iconic wrestling championship of the modern era — the WWF "Winged Eagle" belt held by Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Stone Cold Steve Austin; the WCW World Heavyweight Championship; countless AWA, NWA, and Jim Crockett Promotions titles; the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in Japan; the SHIMMER Championship; and even title belts commissioned by the UFC, professional boxing, and — famously — an album cover for Madonna. His nickname, "The King of Belts," was not marketing. In 2009, the Cauliflower Alley Club honored him with its Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award. Parks passed away on October 7, 2021, at the age of 87. His body of work is now finite, and every documented appearance of a Parks-designed championship in the wild has become a piece of collector-grade wrestling history.